Pleasure-railway.



PATEN'IED JULY 16, 1907.

R. MEGA. PLEASURE RAILWAY.

APPLICATION FILED 33.19, 1907.

Witnesses:

Affarggy.

P0000 Mgga,

ROCCO MEGA, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PLEASURE RAILWAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 16, 1907.

Application filed April 19, 1907. Serial No. 369,060.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Rocco MEGA, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, in the city of New York, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pleasure-Railways, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to produce a railway and vehicle therefor in which persons are carried in cycloidal paths with rapidly variable movement both in the horizontal and in the vertical direction whereby novel sensations are produced.

Further objects of the invention relate to the means for efiecting the cycloidal movements, to the provision for directing the vehicle around curves, and for independently arresting the linear and rotary movements for the purpose of effecting the landing.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings which forms a part of this application, Figure 1 is an elevation of a pleasure railway embodying my invention, portions of the straight runs of track being broken out. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the portion where the landing is effected.

The vehicle comprises a vehicle-body 1 consisting of a circular or cylindrical cage-like framework, the axis of which is horizontal. The vehicle-body is provided at its axis with trunnions 2 2. Within the framework of the vehicle-body are suspended three gravity carriers 3 3 which are of sufficient size to carry one or more persons. The points of suspension of these carriers are in the spokes of the framework so that the carriers at all times swing wholly within the framework. The trunnions bear in trucks 4 4. The vehicle rides on a suitable track which is preferably laid over a circuitous course. The track as illustrated comprises a section 5 downwardly inclined in the direction of travel, a section 6 which is inclined upwardly at a steep grade, and along which is an endless chain 7 constructed to engage with and hoist the vehicles on this section. There is also a curved section 8 and another downwardly inclined section 9. These several sections may be extended or multiplied and arranged in different orders as may be desired and necessary to complete the circuit and bring the two ends of the track to the same point as seen in plan view, but with the end at which the vehicle completes its traverse of the track directly over the other end of the track. Between the two track ends is a pair of wheels 10 10 mounted on a horizontal shaft 11 which is supported in stationary bearings 12 12, and through this pair of wheels a course is provided for the vehicle between the two track ends and the circuit completed.

,The straight sections of the track along which it is intended to have the vehicles propelled by gravity are provided with roadways 13 13 between and parallel with the track rails. The circular vehicle-body bears in part on these roadways so that only a portion of the weight is borne by the track rails through the trucks on these sections of the track, and the vehiclebody is caused to revolve by rolling on this roadway as 'it traverses the track. The carriers are so proportioned and pivoted at points intermediate between the axis and periphery of the circular vehicle-body that they will swing clear of the roadway. At the curved portions the roadway is preferably omitted or dropped lower so that the vehicle will be supported wholly through the trucks and their small wheels since these afford a much better guide around the curves and the rotation of the vehicle-body will be sustained by the momentum as much as necessary.

The pair of wheels between the track-ends are each notched to form bearings whichreceive the trunnions of the vehicle-body. Guards 14 14 opposite the peripheries of the pair of wheels hold the trunnions in the notches while passing from one track-end to the other. A ratchet 15 is connected with the pair of wheels and is engaged by apawl 16 which is pivoted to the supporting framework of one of the stationary bearings. A lever 17 lies in the path of the trunnions of the vehicle-body as it passes from the track to the pair of wheelsfand this lever connects with the pawl and thereby releases the pair of wheels so that the vehicle will not be abruptly stopped on striking these wheels. These wheels are preferably mounted so as to revolve with considerable friction so that they can be utilized to gradually arrest and stop the forward movement of the vehicle and hold it until the momentum of the vehicle-body in rotating can be overcome and the vehicle-body held stationary or rotated to different positions to bring the carriers successively into a convenient position for loading and landing passengers.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. The combination of an inclined roadway, a circular vehicle-body rolling on the roadway, and a plurality of gravity carriers suspended within the vehicle body at points intermediate between its axis and the periphery whereby they swing clear of the roadway.

2. The combination of an inclined track and roadway, a circular vehicle-body rolling on the roadway and between the tracks, a plurality of gravity carriers suspended within the vehicle-body at points intermediate between the axis and periphery whereby they swing clear of the roadway, and trucks supporting the vehicle-body and provided with wheels riding on the tracks.

3. The combination of a track, a circular vehicle-body carried thereby and provided with trunnions, a plurality of gravity carriers suspended within the vehicle-body, means for revolving the vehicle-body while traversing the 10 track, and a pair of wheels mounted on a horizontal axis in stationary bearings and lying between the ends of the track and provided on their peripheries with bearings for the trunnions of the vehicle-body.

Signed by me in the borough of Manhattan, New York, N. Y., this 15th day of April 1907.

ROCCO MEGA. 

